Puri: A day after alleging that police are taking a monthly bribe from excise offenders, Excise Inspector of District Mobile Unit, Puri, Sanjaya Kumar Panda sought an apology stating he is mentally ill.
Panda said that he had suffered some mental imbalance in October 2020 after getting infected with Covid-19 and was consulting Psychiatrist Dr. Neelmadhav Rath in Cuttack. He was under regular medication but had discontinued it for the past month.
As a result, he lost his mental balance and gave statements against the police, said Panda. “I respect my Superintendent and the police. Police are doing good work but I gave such statements as I am mentally ill. I accept my fault and seek an apology,” he added.
Meanwhile, Excise Superintendent Amarendra Jena has sanctioned the application of Panda who sought leave for treatment citing mental and physical illness.
It is pertinent to mention that Panda, in a letter to Excise Commissioner, had alleged that police are taking undue advantage of the excise powers vested on them and collecting monthly money from liquor traders, ganja mafia, and other excise criminals.
